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Welcome to the Schuylkill Canal Association’s website. This website concentrates on a recreation area known locally as the Schuylkill Canal Park, located in the villages of Mont Clare and Port Providence in Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, directly across the river from Phoenixville.
The area includes a 2.5-mile waterway and some five miles of towpath and trails in the undeveloped greenway between the canal and the river, all totaling about 60 linear acres. Also included are various historic canal structures such as the 1836 Locktender's House and Lock 60, the only restored and operational lock system within the Schuylkill River Valley. The picture above was taken the day the restored Lock 60 was re-opened in May 2005. Neal Thorpe, one of SCA's founding members, and Dan Daley, SCA's Grounds & Waterways chairperson, were the first through the lock in PENNY, SCA's rowboat.
The website will give you information about the area’s attractions and current programs, but first it will tell you about its past, for its history is part of Pennsylvania’s history.
The Schuylkill Canal Towpath Restoration project is underway, click on the link above for all the updated information and to link to Montgomery County's webpage on the Schuylkill River Trail. Together with Upper Providence Township and the Schuylkill Canal Association, Montgomery County's Planning Commission and Parks & Heritage Services are coordinating this important and unique restoration project that will further protect and preserve the Schuylkill Canal in Upper Providence Township. The 10th annual Schuylkill River Sojourn, June 7 through June 13, 2008, check out some of the great pictures from 2007
Sunday, June 29, 2008, 9 AM to 4 PM A day full of family fun is planned. An events schedule, apps to pre-register for the various competitions and apps for the crafters, business expo and flea market are all on the page included, click on the heading above that will link you to all the details. Pictures from 2007 Canal Day, June 24, 2007
May 2008 happenings along the canal: Tuesday, May 13, 2008, SCA's Board of Directors meeting, 7 PM, Upper Providence Township Meeting Hall, 1301 Black Rock Road, Phoenixville, PA 19460. The meeting is open to the public and all guests are welcome.
1 PM to 4 PM Join in with SCA's annual bird walk and enjoy a hike along the river and ravine trails where the natural habitat is abundant with a variety of bird species. The walk will begin promptly at 1:15 PM, participants are invited to gather at Lock 60, at the head of the canal in Mont Clare, at 1 PM. The group will be led by four very experienced birders, all eager to help novices locate and identify birds new to them. Please dress according to the weather and bring along a set of binoculars for a closer view of the birds.
The restored 1836 Locktender's House will be open to the public until 4 PM, where an SCA volunteer will greet visitors, talk about the site's history and provide information on upcoming events and happenings along the canal. Light refreshments will also be available. Lock 60, the only restored operating lock along the Schuylkill, will be opened at 3 PM by SCA's resident locktender. He will explain how the lock works and demonstrate with ease how the 5-ton gates are opened. Volunteer locktender's are always welcomed. Wednesday, May 28, 2008,-Schuylkill River Sojourn & Canal Day organizational meeting, 7 PM, in the Locktender's House, Lock 60. Volunteers are welcomed and needed to help organize both events held each year in June.
Check out the calendar of events for all the programs scheduled throughout the year. For more information, please contact SCA at 610-917-0021or send us an email at info@schuylkillcanal.com. |
New! Take a 360° photo virtual tour of the Canal!
Click here to start at the canal map.
NEW! See an animation of how a lock works!
Copyright © 2002 Schuylkill Canal Association. All rights reserved. This page was last updated on 2/15/08